Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? »

Bonnie Bader lives in Brooklyn, New York. Elizabeth Wolf lives in Boise, Idaho.

Nancy Harrison lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death—from an assassin’s bullet—in 1968. With clearly written text that explains this tumultuous time in history and 80 black-and-white illustrations, this Who Was…? celebrates the vision and the legacy of a remarkable man.

Children's Literature

Martin Luther King, Jr. profoundly influenced the history of the United States. From the time he was a young boy, Martin knew that he wanted to help black people gain the same rights that white people enjoyed. He believed that to achieve his goals, he needed to be well educated; thus, he went to college and eventually earned his doctorate. He became a minister and began taking part in protests. Soon, his work for equal rights for blacks became a full-time job. He traveled all over the country organizing protests, marches, and sit-ins. He was thrown in jail many times for his work, but he never lost hope as he continued to fight for equal rights in a peaceful manner. One of the unique features of this book is the supplemental information it provides about people and events discussed throughout the book. Because Bonnie Bader wrote the book's chapters to coincide with particular events in King's life, readers can easily read a single chapter individually. Upper elementary children will enjoy the challenge of this chapter book but will not be overwhelmed because it includes pictures every few pages to help children comprehend what the story discusses. Reviewer: Frances Mann